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Ten of my favourite ‘Give us a hug’ songs

The other day, I was thinking about some of those songs that end up featuring on every other list I make. Songs that are perennial favourites of mine, because they are those rare combinations of brilliant music and equally brilliant lyrics, singing, picturisation—everything. Songs like Aage bhi jaane na tu, Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye toh kya hai, and Lag jaa gale ke phir yeh.

Lag jaa gale ke phir yeh made a thought pop into my mind: that a fair number of Hindi songs are an invitation to be hugged. That might seem fairly innocuous, but in the good old days of nodding flowers and birds putting their beaks together onscreen, an embrace was a daring enough statement: it meant you did love someone; you weren’t being frivolous. No heroine (or hero, even) worth their salt actually hugged anybody—in a romantic way—other than the love of their life. So telling someone to come on and give you a hug meant you were serious (even if the way it was said—as it is in some of the songs in this list—in a light-hearted way).

But, to get on to this post. Ten songs where the basic sentiment expressed in the lyrics (and it must be expressed in so many words) is “Give us a hug”. From pre-70s films that I’ve seen, and in no particular order, though—since Lag jaa gale k phir yeh is the song that inspired this post, and is actually my favourite song from this list—that one features first.

1. Lag jaa gale ke phir yeh (Woh Kaun Thi?, 1964): For me, one of the loveliest songs there is. Madan Mohan’s music is beautiful; Lata Mangeshkar’s rendition is wonderful, and the picturization is spot on. A romantic song, but with an odd fatalism to it: this beautiful night may never come our way again, so come to me, embrace me. Seductive, yet doomed. Sadhana is at her most gorgeous (I have to admit: I’ve loved the combination of chiffon-ey lace sari, heavy jewellery, and exaggerated eye makeup ever since I first saw this song). And Manoj Kumar is in one of my favourite roles, as the doctor who’s intrigued and attracted by his mysterious wife, but also repelled by her, by the fact that her face is that of a dead woman.

2. Mujhko apne gale lagaa lo (Humraahi, 1963): From a song that ticks all the boxes for me, to a song which I like only because of the music. Not so much the rendition (Rafi is excellent, but I don’t much care for Mubarak Begum’s somewhat nasal voice in parts of this song). Not the picturization, not the actor and actress (neither Rajendra Kumar nor Jamuna are favourites of mine), and not even very much the lyrics. Interestingly though, Mujhko apne gale lagaa lo does have some things in common with Lag jaa gale: this too is from a film in which the hero and heroine get married fairly early in the proceedings, and without first falling in love (though in Humraahi, there is a one-sided love).

Here, the “come and embrace me” theme comes at the end of a long and tumultuous relationship: a wife who has hated her sometime-playboy husband finally realizes that she has managed to reform the rake. Happy end? But not yet.

3. Aa mere gale lag jaa (Baazi, 1968): Another woman, another man, and romantic solitude. But the tone of Aa mere gale lag jaa couldn’t be more different from that of Lag jaa gale. Waheeda Rehman, in her (only?) role as a very Westernized Christian girl (with, interestingly—and in a hearteningly progressive way—a Hindu boyfriend), asks said boyfriend (a gorgeous Dharmendra) for a hug. This isn’t seductive, or pleading, or trying too hard: she knows he’s hers. Her confidence in his love is apparent in every word, every gesture.

4. Aa lag jaa gale dilruba (Dus Lakh, 1966): PDA is something the moral police only seems to frown upon in real life. Onscreen, PDA seems to be pretty much the done thing—and since fairly early on, too. Here, Sanjay Khan serenades (pesters?) Babita—in her debut—while amidst dozens of people, all of them dancing, picnicking and more. From the gardens of Kashmir to willow groves, they’re almost constantly surrounded by other people. But Aa lag jaa gale dilruba, despite that somewhat I’ll-pester-you-until-you-submit tone of the lyrics, is a favourite of mine: Rafi’s voice strikes the right balance between romantic and teasing, and the music—vintage Ravi—is superb.

5. Aa gale lag jaa (April Fool, 1964): Like Aa lag jaa gale dilruba, another song of a man serenading his beloved. But if there was little disregard for gawping onlookers in the Dus Lakh song, there’s even less here—in fact, this one’s actually a poolside performance, band and all. While Saira Banu and her colleagues show off their moves in the pool [aside: the performers were a West German troupe, and Saira Banu was specifically trained for this sequence], Biswajeet sings to her to come and give him a hug, while Sajjan looks on and seethes. Although the tune goes off in places I don’t particularly like now and then, this is—on the whole—a decent enough song.

6. Mujhe gale se lagaa lo (Aaj aur Kal, 1963): For a change, a song that asks for a hug, but a hug that is not romantic in nature—even though it is sung to the person the singer loves. Unlike the songs that have appeared earlier in this list, Mujhe gale se lagaa lo isn’t about a sensual hug, but a hug of comfort. A hug that will console someone who is afflicted (Nanda plays a crippled princess, tired of life and in deep despair, while Sunil Dutt plays the young doctor who’s come to treat her). A hug to relieve sorrow, to take away the pain the world has inflicted. Beautifully sung (by Asha) with poignant lyrics by Sahir—and both Nanda and Sunil Dutt look wonderful.

7. Yeh tanhaayi haai re haai(Tere Ghar ke Saamne, 1962): My most vivid memory of this song is from when I was studying hotel management and had to do a six-month internship at a hotel. While an intern at the Hyatt Regency in Delhi, I worked a week at the hotel’s Indian specialty restaurant, Angaan, which had a live singer every night. One night, she sang this song. I knew I’d heard it before, I knew I loved it, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember which film it was from.

I don’t recall when I realized it was from Tere Ghar ke Saamne, but Yeh tanhaayi haai re haai is still a song I love. (In case you don’t recall the lyrics, the invitation to a hug comes in the end of the refrain: Yeh tanhaayi haai re haai jaane phir aaye na aaye, thhaam lo baahein, thhaam lo baahein). Unlike a couple of the previous songs, this one actually emphasizes the tanhaayi—the solitude that the average lover would welcome. The solitude that is so hard to find; and who knows when they will find it again? Lovely music, a chirpy Nutan and a handsome Dev Anand. And a playfully teasing picturization.

8. Ae chaand ki zebaai tu jhool jaa baahon mein (Chhoti Si Mulaqat, 1967): Another of those singing-to-a-sweetheart songs that invite the beloved to embrace the singer. Ae chaand ki zebaai is somewhat different from most of the other songs in this list because the person being sung to is neither completely averse to the suggestion, nor leaping at it: this is a woman caught in a horrible dilemma, torn between the man she loves and the childhood bridegroom she is increasingly realizing she must find and go back to.

9. Pyaare aaja chori-chori gori-gori baahon mein (Insaaf ka Mandir, 1969): This is one “Give us a hug” song that doesn’t seem to exist anywhere on Youtube or any of the other video-sharing sites. You can listen to Pyaare aaja chori-chori gori-gori baahon mein aaj ki raat by clicking this link, and then selecting the song and playing it. Insaaf ka Mandir was a little-known film (starring Sanjeev Kumar as a lawyer), and seems to have pretty much sunk without a trace, though it did have some lovely songs. This one is—as you can tell from the very peppy beat—a club song. Not really an expression of heartfelt romance, but a performance.

10. Door ke o chanda aa meri baahon mein aa (Ek Dil Sau Afsaane, 1963): And, to end this list, a song that’s very different from all the rest. While the others—even Mujhe gale se lagaa lo—are about romantic love, this one is about maternal love. A young mother plays with her baby, singing to the little tyke as she waltzes, swings it about, and generally showers him with love and affection, telling this little ‘moon that has descended’ to come into her arms. A very sweet song, and Waheeda Rehman is gorgeous.

Which songs would you add to this list? I can think of a few others, some not-so-nice ones from before the 70s, plus a couple of really good ones from the 70s. Do tell me your choices!

Thank you, Anu! I hope you like the ‘new’ songs when you listen to them. :-) And thank you for the ones you’ve listed. I don’t much care for the song from Andher Nagri Chaupat Raja (not that it’s bad; just not memorable), but the one from Miss Mary was nice. I have got to watch that film one of these days. Oh, and how could I forget Aaj sajan mohe ang lagaa lo?! Yes, I think that definitely qualifies. And how.

Aa na gale lagaao na and Baahon mein chale aao were two of the 70s songs that were at the top of mind when I was making this list! I kept hoping someone would post them in the comments. :-)

Yes, Anu. I remember reading your review. And I see that in my comment there, I’ve even written that I’ve not seen the film but mean to. Sigh. Three years gone by, and I’s still not gotten around to it. :-(

My,my, Madhulika/ Dusted Off , you’re becoming really awfully addictive ! I’ve been scrolling through all your posts . And, congratulations, this one’s really a marvel. I agree with your first choice unreservedly. For me “Lag ja gale” is the most beautiful song in the whole wide world ! (It’s even Lataji’s favourite!) Sadhana is so bewitchingly beautiful in this number , her eyes so mesmerising , her movements so graceful…. Add to that the silvery sands, the distant Casuarinas, the swinging Banyan branches , Manoj Kumar’s brooding good looks , Madan Mohan’s out-of-this-world tune Raja Mehndi Ali Khan’s lyrics, Lata’s awesome rendition and what you get is PURE magic ! Keep up this brilliance ! PS Most of your various theme numbers have Sadhana’s songs at the top !!!

Wait, you didn’t know “maa mujhe apni aanchal” till now? * Faints *
It is probably THE most iconic mother-child song in Hindi movies. I first heard it when I was a little kid – it was VERY popular in those days. Just like “naani teri morni”. If you haven’t watched the movie, give it a shot. Theek hi hai.

Harvey, some good songs there! Both the songs from Bhai-Bhai and Mother India were on my shortlist, but I didn’t like them enough to put into my final list. But I like them nevertheless. I also like Ae zindagi gale lagaa le (I was hoping someone would post that, not just because it’s a good song, but also because it’s an unusual one – asking life, and not a person, for an embrace). Baahon mein chale aao is an all-time favourite of mine, and I was so happy to hear Ab jo mile hain – I’d completely forgotten about that one (okay, even if I can’t put them in my post, I am always thinking alongside of songs which would have qualified if I’d expanded the scope as far as time was concerned). I really like the songs of Caravan, but somehow had forgotten all about this.

Ava, now that’s what I call a fabulous comeback! After having written that mera number nahin aaya, you come back with a great song. :-) I really like Yoon na sharma phaila de – despite the presence of Yogita Bali (whom I do not like!), such a peppy song. Really nice; mazaa aa gaya. Thank you!

Quite an interesting theme for a post. I would never have thought about it and you are right, there are indeed many songs on this topic.

Lag jaa gale ke phir yeh is the quintessential hug me song, isn’t it? It is also one of those perfect songs, where you can’t find a fault. Love it.

Mujhko apne gale lagaa lo is song for which I also have mixed feelings. I like and don’t like Mubarak Begum’s voice in it. I just can’t decide what.

Aa mere gale lag jaa is mixed pack as well. I like Waheeda, but not so sure about it here.

Aa lag jaa gale dilruba, I know I don’t like it. Something about it just turns me off. Maybe it is the “I’ll-pester-you-until-you-submit tone of the lyrics”.

Aa gale lag jaa from April Fool is another song, which I feel is being filmed on Shammi, the other being aa jaa re aa zara from Love in Tokyo, which by the way should qualify for this list as well. It does say seene se mere sarko lagaa de.

Mujhe gale se lagaa lo from Aaj aur Kal came to my mind right after the Woh Kaun thi song, when I read about the theme of the post. Asha can put such a deep melancholy and longing in a song, that it is simply heart-wrenching.

Yeh tanhaayi haai re haai is also song for me which was like it was always there and will always have a special place in my heart. It is a place where I like to go often.

Ae chaand ki zebaai tu jhool jaa baahon me is a song, which I am not quite familiar with. It has that distinct Shankar touch, which I don’t really prefer, though it is basically a nice song. In my opinion it could have done with less orchestra.

I heard Pyaare aaja chori-chori gori-gori baahon me today for the first time.. It does have a good beat to it. Who is the MD?

Love door ke o chanda. It is also one of my favourite lullabies. It was a time, when S-J used the waltz quite often.

Sorry for posting the Anamika song in my previous comment, although Anu has already posted it. I just smuggled its way through, although I’d though, that I’d deleted it. Sorry. But I did remove the Gunaah song.

Here are some more, which I found

Here is Helen talking about the virtues of her, ahem, hugs.
main jo gale lag jaaungi from Anjaam (1968)

A lovely song from teh early 70s, when RDB could do no wrong. simple and sweet!
raat kali ek khwab me from Buddha Mil Gaya (1971)

A SDB-Lata song of rare flavour. This hug does make other feel jealous.
yaaron ne baanhen jo daali gale from Chaalis Baba Ek Chor (1954)

Wow, Harvey! You’ve really trawled the net and come up with quite an array of songs, no? :-) Yes, Aaja re aa zara aa does meet the criteria, though I think the ‘give us a hug’ aspect of it isn’t quite as prominent as in the other songs. It comes hidden deep inside, in one of the verses…

And oh, I love Raat kali ek khwaab mein aayi. But again, it’s not as if he’s asking for a hug – he’s talking about a hug that’s already happened. So I wouldn’t say that qualifies, wonderful though the song is.

I had never heard Main jo gale lag jaaongi: peppy and infectious, and an unusual way of asking for a hug: by holding out all the incentives for the hug!

That song from Chaalees Baba Ek Chor was good! Thank you. Hadn’t heard that before, either. Or the Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya song (which does have a similar tone to the Dus Lakh song, you’re right). I also hadn’t heard Chaand ko gale se lagaaye (which, despite Naushad, I didn’t like much; and anyway – is she actually asking for a hug?)

Chaand kabhi thaa baahon mein is a lovely song, but I don’t think it qualifies – this post, after all, is not about hugs per se. It’s about asking for hugs, not merely wishing for them. :-) But what a wonderful song that is. I especially like the orchestration.

The Shera Daaku song was new to me too (what great music! – I am always somewhat taken aback by the number of almost-unknown films that had good songs). But again, it doesn’t ask for a hug, does it?

Thank you for such a wonderful, ‘different’ post. The first song that came to my mind when I read the title was of course the first song you have listed! I like only Rafi’s voice and singing in Mujhko apne gale lagalo aye mere hamrahi. Cant stand Rajendra Kumar, btw! Also the April fool song, though lovely, has a big blot on it – Biswajeet :p

But here are two more songs. the first one is an Asha – Rafi duet from the seventies. Havent seen the movie and don’t like it much either. It is picturised on a young Vijayendra Ghatge. Aa lag ja gale mere lehrake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL9DfdjcA7o

The second song doesnt talk about ‘bahein’ or ‘gale lagna’ in the first sentence; but is mentioned in the song later. A song that I like – Baahon ko zara lehra de from Kabhi Andhera kabhi ujala. Will this qualify?

“Also the April fool song, though lovely, has a big blot on it – Biswajeet :p”

LOL! Yes. This isn’t one of the best songs picturised on him, but – like Bharat Bhushan and Rajendra Kumar, two other actors I don’t care for – Biswajeet lip-synched to some really good songs.

I hadn’t heard Aa gale lag jaa mere lehraake before. Fits right in with the theme. The picturisation is quite at odds with the audio – the song’s got the sounds of a qawwali (not the chorus, but the beats and clapping), but it’s set in a garden with not a sign of any qawwals lurking anywhere. :-D

As far as I can recall, I’d never heard Baahon ko zara lehraa de before. Nice song! If we agree that – as Harvey suggested – Aa re aa zara – qualifies by dint of that seene pe sar jo jhuka de, then this should qualify too.

Ang lag ja balma is a horrible song because of Padmini or more precisely Padmana. He looked very khatarnak mard in that song. His fat, puffy body and masculine figure is too horrible. Look how cheap it looks when he shows his fat and crumbled back, it looked so dirty. His act of controlling his saree and then wrapping around his body is so irritating. Nothing is good in this song, even it is not pleasant to hear. Earlier I use to like this man but after seeing his performance in this movie I started disliking him. He also looked extremely horrible in ‘Ho maine pyar kiya’ and his dangerous close ups in ‘Muddat ki tammanao ki’ is worth mentioning.﻿

You know Madhu I have always liked the phrase baahon ke haar, lyricists often use it, I find it very poetic. Here is one of my favourite songs that has baahon ke haar
I am surprised to see that you know about that song from Insaaf Ka Mandir, I have no memory of it. It was a terrible film, my father played a lawyer, no prizes for guessing that he and Sanjeev Kumar were opposing lawyers, who was the defence lawyer and who was the prosecutor I have no memory. This much I remember that they both were made to shout at each other, my father to a lesser degree than Sanjeev Kumar. I am sure Sanjeev Kumar had a sore throat after shooting these scenes. Many a time actors do not want to yell and shout but they are compelled to do so.
While on the subject of Insaaf Ka Mandir, here is a sweet song from this film that I really like

Aasmaan ke neeche is a nice song – thanks for that, Shilpi! And I agree with you; there’s something so lyrical about referring to an embrace as baahon ka haar.

I must be one of the few people who remembers watching Insaaf ka Mandir. Not that I remember much of it (I’d even forgotten your father acted in it), but still. I saw it on TV sometime in the late 90s. I was living on my own in Delhi then and didn’t own a TV, but on one of my frequent weekend trips to my parents in Meerut, I watched it because there was an old movie coming on TV… and I used to watch any old movie then, I don’t recall very much of it, except that both Nadira and Laxmi Chhaya had more memorable roles than the lead actress. I would’ve forgotten about its songs and other details too if I hadn’t made notes. (I started making notes for every pre-70s film I watched sometime back then; I still do).

I do love Nindiya khokar nain hanse. Such a sweet, beautiful, gentle song.

Been lurking for a while. Love your blog perhaps because it seems tailor made for my tastes. Have no musical talent but growing up in Delhi in the fifties and sixties was bombarded by film music from all directions. Didn’t care for movies since I couldn’t afford them and could see even then the huge flaws in plots and acting. The songs were to die for though. Since I haven’t lived in India since 68, that forms the natural cutoff.

Like your writing. Been meaning to check out your books. Once again, thanks for maintaining the blog.

Thank you so much! I’m glad you like my blog, and I do hope you like my books as well. Another one due out soon – probably within the next month.

Yes, the music from the 50s and 60s was splendid. The films might often be pretty bad (the really good films I can count on the tips of my fingers), but loads of them were redeemed by their songs. Even something like Barsaat ki Raat, if you take away the songs and the gorgeousness of Madhubala and Shyama, is very average.

Thanks for the warm welcome. What’s the new book about? Look forward to it.

Just stumbled on this rather indifferent song from Vachan (1974), “Dil ka Guldasta Baahon ka Haar” that might fit in this category if time frame is stretched. That will teach me not to stray out of my comfort zone.

The new book, Crimson City, is the fourth in the Muzaffar Jang series – a detective novel set in Delhi in 1657. In between solving the kidnapping of a moneylender’s child, Muzaffar Jang investigates a series of murders in his mohallah. Ideally, you should begin reading the series from the first book (The Englishman’s Cameo) onwards, though it’s not really necessary: each book has been written in such a way that it stands on its own as well.

Yes, Dil ka guldasta fits. And the time period can be stretched in the comments. In fact, readers are pretty much welcome to go off on tangents regarding language and time (or whatever else) in the comments. It adds to the fun!

Lovely topic Madhu. Couldn’t agree more with your choices with #1 being the quintessential theme song for “goodbye hug”!

This song from Hawas (1974), music Usha Khanna, singer Asha might fit the bill for hugging “request” but it is obviously more seductive (may be borderline ostentatious) than many others mentioned on this post. Neither Anil Dhawan, nor Bindu are my favorite, the song itself is not too bad. Though the song “Teri Galiyon Main” from the same movie was much more popular for good reasons.

Here’s one obscure Rafi song that is good on ears (not so much for the eyes though). Movie – Jeevan Rekha (1974) – Music – Jagdish J and Suman Raj

I have to admit I hadn’t heard Apne dil mein jagah dijiye, Ashish – you’re right that Teri galiyon mein na rakhenge kadam is far better-known. But this one fits well. Bindu’s looking very gharelu – intrigues me about her role. Is she really being a good Sati Savitri, or is this a ploy? :-)

And Yaar mere meri baahon mein aa ja was new to me too! Yes, does sound far better than it looks.

Thanks for both those songs, Ashish. This is what I love about song lists – you get introduced to so many songs you’d never even heard of before. When I published this post, I told my husband: “I don’t know how many comments I’ll get. After all, there can’t be so many songs out there which are all about ‘come, give us a hug’.”

Yeah, it’s amazing that so many different songs fit so well in the theme! I am finding so many songs (not only posted on this topic) that I never heard before, thanks to your knowledgeable viewers!

Regarding, Hawas movie, which was written, produced and directed by Sawan Kumar and music was composed by his wife Usha Khanna, had some interesting trivia. Apparently the dialogues were supposedly written by Ameen Sayani (per the movie credits), who was a good friend of the couple but Ameen himself admitted that he wasn’t able to handle the dialogue due to the nature of the movie, apparently the story required him to write on a topic that he was too shy to do the job besides one or two dialogues. Sawan himself wrote the rest of the dialogues but still gave him credit for the job.

I haven’t seen the movie but going by this song (Apne dil main jagah dijiye) and Rekha’s item number Aao yaron gao, it’s not that hard to imagine why Ameen couldn’t deliver. :)

Oh, nice song. I haven’t heard this for a long time; had completely forgotten about it.

Aaja saanwariya tohe garwa lagaa loon reminded me of another song which has – though not in the first line (which anyway wasn’t a criterion for this post) that thing about garwa lagaana. Nainon mein badraa chhaaye from Mera Saaya:

Lovely song, an old favourite of mine even though I don’t like the film much. But is she really asking for a hug, or simply saying what a hug (actually, in the context of the movie, much more than a hug!) is going to do to her?